Todaiji Temple Shosoin: Robe of Emperor Shomu

JAPAN, Nara; Nara period

This nine-panel quilted silk robe was created in the 8th century and is one of the nine remaining robes of Emperor Shomu (reigned 724–749), who renounced after his abdication, thus becoming the first retired emperor to become a Buddhist monk. Empress Komyo, who followed her husband and became a Buddhist nun, offered this robe to Todaiji Temple in 756, on the anniversary of Shomu’s death.
The robe is rectangular with nine vertical panels, each of which was formed by sewing together two long pieces and one short piece of silk. The panels consist of layered silk stitched together on a lining of thin greenish-blue silk. Dark red silk strips are sewn along the edges, and the colors and design of the panels alternate producing a tree bark effect. The robe resembles those which were originally made out of scraps of cloth. Since this robe was made for the emperor, the silk thread and cloth were of the highest quality.